


The Loop

by Fun2beme1



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Language, attack on titan - Freeform, snk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 7,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26830099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fun2beme1/pseuds/Fun2beme1
Summary: Levi is caught in a loop of events he can't control. How will he get himself out of this? Or will he even want to?
Relationships: Levi/Original Character
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Because this is a loop, each chapter will start out the same but with eventual variances. Just wanted to throw that out there to avoid any potential confusion. Some chapters are unapologetically short and this has a lot to do with Levi's temper, but you'll see. Enjoy!

"Hadn't had a dream  
In a long time  
See the luck I've had  
Would make a good man bad  
So please please please  
Let me  
Get what I want  
Lord knows it would be the first time  
(Please, Please, Please Let me Get What I Want, The Smiths 1984)

She wakes up and stretches, the light coming in through her bedroom window piercing her eyes.

Squeezing them shut against the glare, she rolls over with a sigh...  
And stares right into the face of the man lying next to her.  
They both jump up, alarmed and confused,

"Who the fuck are you?" They say in unison.

"Me? I'll ask the questions! Who are you, and why are you in my bed?", She demands.

"How the fuck should I know? I went to sleep in my own damn bed!"

"I'll ask one more time", she says as she backs slowly towards her cell phone. "Or I'm calling the police."

He scoffs at her and rolls his eyes.  
"The police?" He steps toward her. "Oh shit, I'm-"

"Don't come any closer!"

"-so scared."

He steps toward her anyway, and she makes a break for her phone, meaning to lock herself in the bathroom and call for help. It's no use though, he's fast and he has a hold of her just as her fingertips brush the phone. He throws her onto her bed, and it seems he can read her expression quite well. Seeing the look, and gauging her fearful thoughts quite accurately, he merely chuckles.

"Relax brat." He pins her down and gives her a rather amused look. "I'm not interested."

'She's pretty' he thinks as he looks down at her, 'but I can't let her distract me. I need to figure out where the hell I am, and how to get back.'

'fucking psycho' she thinks as she looks up at him, 'he was in my bed! The lunatic was IN MY BED, AND has the nerve to act all innocent?'

"Will you please tell me where I am?" He asks with deliberate calm. His nerves are honestly at the most frayed they've ever been.

She just glares at him angrily, feeling indignant at his treatment of her in her own home, no less!

"Listen to me you bitch! You better-"

He's gone.

"I'm back! What the fuck?" He stares around his quarters in bewilderment. With a mistrustful look at his bed, he heads to his office area; determined to distract his weirded out mind with some paperwork.

'what a strange dream.....' he thinks, 'didn't feel like a dream, though....' He closes the report he was pretending to read and thinks on it further.

'She was just as clueless as I was. Maybe even more so. It had to of been a dream, there's no other explanation..'  
He sighs.

'I never even got her name....'


	2. Chapter 2

She wakes up and stretches, the light coming in through her bedroom window piercing her eyes. Squeezing them shut against the glare, she rolls over with a sigh.  
And stares right into the face of the man lying next to her.  
They both jump up, alarmed and confused,

"Who the fuck are you?" They say in unison.

"Me? I'll ask the questions! Who are you, and why are you in my bed?", She demands.  
"  
How the fuck should I know? I went to sleep in my own damn bed!"  
"  
I'll ask one more time", she says as she backs slowly towards her cell phone. "Or I'm calling the police."

He scoffs at her and rolls his eyes.  
"The police?" He steps toward her. "Oh shit, I'm-"

"Don't come any closer!"

"-so scared."   
She begins to turn for her phone, but he stops her with his words.

"I feel like this already happened."

She stares at him incredulously.  
"You've been in my bed before? You fucking creep!" She screams at him, and he steps forward angrily.

"Do you think I WANT to be here?"

"You crawled in my bed like you belong here, you pervert!"

That's it. He's absolutely had it. He grabs her so quickly, she honestly believes he teleported. The next thing she knows, she's pinned to her bed.  
"Shut your smart mouth and tell me where the fuck-"

He's gone.

He sighs and looks around. He's back in his bedroom again, and thankfully alone. Giving a look to his bed, then out towards his office he debates for a minute then walks away, muttering to himself.  
'I swear that happened before. Same bed, Same woman.' He sighs, dismissing the thought for a moment and sits at his desk.  
'No. There's no way I dreamt up a place like that. So strange, and that woman.....'  
His traitor body heats up at the thought of her, and he growls in frustration. 

'This is ridiculous, I have more important things to do than to dwell on some stupid ass dream.'   
Resolving to focus on his paperwork, and paperwork only; he turns to the first report up for review, instead finding himself pleasantly distracted by a pair of pretty blue eyes gazing at him in sleepy wonder.


	3. Chapter 3

She wakes up and stretches, the light coming in through her bedroom window piercing her eyes. Squeezing them shut against the glare, she rolls over with a sigh.  
And stares right into the face of the man lying next to her.  
They both jump up, alarmed and confused,

"Who the fuck are you?" They say in unison.

"Me? I'll ask the questions! Who are you, and why are you in my bed?", She demands.

"How the fuck should I know? I went to sleep in my own damn bed!"

"I'll ask one more time", she says as she backs slowly towards her cell phone. "Or-"  
He scoffs at her and rolls his eyes.  
"Or you're calling the police?" He steps toward her. "I swear we've done this before..."

"Don't come any closer!"

He sighs and sits back down on her bed. Running his fingers through his hair, he looks up at her. She's lovely in the shaft of sunlight breaking through her curtains, and his heart squeezes momentarily in his chest.  
"I'm Levi."

She just stares at him in astonishment, stunned that this intruder is trying to have a civil conversation with her. It frustrates him, and he stands up; taking a step towards her.

"Why do you have to be so difficult? I'm just trying to figure out wh-"  
He's gone.

"-going on." He sighs, and punches the wall next to him. This is all too much. He looks over at his bed.

'It's cursed, isn't it? The fucking thing is cursed. Fuck you Hanji for convincing me to give this piece of shit bed a try. I'm going back to just falling asleep at my damn desk.'  
With that, he sits down and gets to work.


	4. Chapter 4

She wakes up and stretches, the light coming in through her bedroom window piercing her eyes. Squeezing them shut against the glare, she rolls over with a sigh.  
And stares right into the face of the man lying next to her.

"Hello, Levi." She says, looking at him calmly. This is a much different reaction this time, and it has him confused for a moment.

"You remember?" He asks, watching her intently. She just nods, and scoots back from him on the bed. She doesn't leave though, he notes and poses his next question.

"Are you going to tell me your name?"

"It's Trinity."  
He nods, appreciating the answer and sits up; rubbing his face vigorously.  
"Do you have any idea what's going on?" He asks next, not really expecting an answer, but curious.

"You are a creepy man who finds enjoyment from sneaking in my bed at night?" The sarcastic comment has him smiling on the inside a bit, but it frustrates him nonetheless. For some unfathomable reason he actually seems to care what she thinks of him.  
What the fuck is THAT about?

"I'm not-" He sighs, and looks at her earnestly. "I'm not a creep. I did not sneak in here. I fell asleep at my desk."

"Okay then, this is the weirdest dream I've ever had then. That is the only explanation left." She sits up too, and moves to the edge of the bed.

"A dream." He states.

"Yes, a dream."

"Just a dream, hu?" He reaches out, lightning quick and grabs her by the forearms. Sliding her closer, he straddles her hips and pins her arms to the bed. The strap of her nightgown slips off her shoulder a bit, and he's momentarily distracted by her bare shoulder. Blushing, he turns his gaze back to her. The fabric of her gown matches her eyes perfectly.

"Does this seem like a dream to you?"

"A very vivid one, yes."  
Gods is she frustrating. He rolls his eyes, getting off of her hurriedly. He finds he was enjoying that a little too much, and it makes him uncomfortable.

"There is no way in hell I would dream up a place like this." He says, looking curiously around her room.

"There's no way in hell I'd dream up you, but there's a first time for everything right?"

"You are the most frustrating little bi-"  
He's gone.

"Damn it! Why does this keep happening?!"


	5. Chapter 5

She wakes up and stretches, the light coming in through her bedroom window piercing her eyes. Squeezing them shut against the glare, she rolls over with a sigh.  
And stares right into the face of the man lying next to her.  
"Hello, Levi." She says, looking at him calmly. 

"Hello Trinity."  
They stare at each other for a few uncomfortable moments, before she blushes and turns away. She grabs her robe, and slipping it on; walks out of the bedroom. Her voice calls to him from the next room.

"Do you drink tea, Levi?"  
He perks up at that.  
He follows her out to what he assumes is a small living room and kitchenette. They are separated by a small granite topped island, where she is setting out cups and strange circular cakes.  
Off to the side, are two more rooms that Levi ascertains are a bathroom and another bedroom. Does she have a roomate? Not knowing why, he finds he hopes this is not the case.  
He looks around, hoping his tone is casual.

"Where's your restroom?"

"Over there." She says, nodding to the door in question as she pours out.

"I assume then, thanks" He glances down at the cake she placed before him briefly before continuing. "I assume then that other room belongs to a roommate?"

"It's a studio, I live alone." She states simply, and sits across from him; sipping her tea. Relieved by this, he takes a bite of his cake and his eyes widen in delight.

She looks at him like he grew a second head. "Have you never had a doughnut before?"

"Doughnut?" He asks, mouth still full of said pastry. "Can I have another?"

Laughing, she pushes another towards him. "Help yourself. Goodness, if I didn't know any better I would think that you were from another world." Shaking her head, she takes a bite of her doughnut.  
The look he gives her causes her to stop. She slowly puts down her doughnut, and stands up.

"Trinity." Levi stands up as well.

"No, I tried to take this all in stride. I just can't anymore. I can't." She's backing away from him, and he moves around the island; cutting her off.

"Would you just listen to me, for fuck sake?" He lunges for her, and clamps his hand over her mouth, muffling her screams. Dragging the kicking, screaming woman all the way to her bedroom with a curse, he flings her onto her bed. Pinning her hands with one hand, and clamping her mouth with the other he once again tries to talk to her.  
She bites his hand.

"Ow! Fuck!"

He's gone.  
He looks down at his hand, which is bleeding; and goes for the medicine cabinet in his bathroom.   
"Well that clinches it. Definitely not a dream. Now I just need to figure out why I keep going back there."


	6. Chapter 6

He wakes up and stretches, the light coming in through the bedroom window piercing his eyes. Squeezing them shut against the glare, he rolls over with a sigh.  
And sees no one.  
She's not there.  
"Where the fuck are you?"

He looks around slowly, and gets out of bed. Listening closely, he makes his way towards the kitchen. She may of woken early, and was getting more of those doughnuts. Or, worse she could have heard his outburst and slipped out the door.  
"Avoiding me now, are you brat?" He mutters, grabbing a doughnut and taking a bite. 

'Why can't we have these in my world?" He thinks, taking another bite and opening the bathroom door. She's not in here either.  
Next room.   
Nothing.

"Fucking hell, she's gone."  
But wait, what's back here? He pulls the floor length curtains apart, and fumbles around a bit before figuring out the sliding glass door. Stepping out onto the patio, he looks around and then hastily backpedals.  
It's like a nightmare.

He cautiously creeps out a moment later, another jelly doughnut in hand. Leaning forward as far as possible, he looks out over the railing.  
Fuck, She could be anywhere in that mess. The penthouse he's in is on the top floor, and the people look like ants. Not only that, but there are strange, honking metal carriages down there he doesn't quite care for either. He backs up off the balcony and heads for the kitchen.

"I'll just wait her dumb ass out. She probably had things to do other than put up with my shitty ass...hm, no more doughnuts? What else does she have?"  
He roots around and manages to find some meat like patties, eggs and salt. He spends a good five minutes staring at the container.

"How'd she come by all this salt? Is she rich?" Shrugging, he looks around for a pan and finally finds one; but spends another several minutes figuring out the stove.  
He sits down a half hour later and digs in, trying to decide what to do next. His eyes keep going to her studio, so he figures a look won't hurt. Will he find answers? He's not sure, but it's worth a shot. Grabbing his dishes he goes to the sink, and does a quick clean up. He's not going to be a pig in someone else's house, of course not. Once that's concluded, he heads for her office.  
It's neat and orderly, and Levi looks around in appreciation. Next to the desk stands a large easel with a partially completed painting. Various other paintings are stacked neatly around the room, and Levi goes through them one by one. He remains fixated on one in particular. In this painting, two hands; one male and one female are holding a heart-shaped hourglass. There is sand spilling over their joined hands, and the man's hand looks like it had emerged from some kind of doorway. Interesting, and somehow achingly familiar.  
He turns to the computer on her desk next, unsure what to make of it. There's a bar that says search, but what the hell is he searching for? He pushes a few buttons, and nothing happens.

'This is stupid, what the fuck do I even do with this thing?" His hand hits the mouse, and he sees a small arrow move on the screen.  
Aha!  
Carefully putting the arrow inside the search box, he thinks for a moment.   
Portals?  
Dreams?  
Travelling through portals while dreaming?  
With a sigh, he just types in portals for starters and waits.   
Nothing happens.

"Oh! Shit." He next presses the search button. Now something is happening. A long list of possibles crops up, and he looks at them in confusion.

'What's Portal Babes 2050?' he wonders, and giving a shrug; clicks on it.  
The over the top panting and moaning registers before the freaky ass shit he's witnessing on the screen.

'What the fuck?' He looks closer. Some woman in a weird silver suit, cut out to give convenient access to the 'alien' man with antennae on his head is making all the racket. 

'WHAT THE FUCK?' He presses numerous buttons in panic, trying to get the image to go away. He just turned it up louder.

'FUCK!'

Someone is banging on the wall in the next penthouse. "Hey! Keep it down over there!"

'FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!' He gets the sound down, but still can't turn the damn thing off. Another 'alien' man has joined the party, and a horrified Levi shoves away from the desk, tipping his chair over in the process.  
"Ow! Fu-"  
"ck!"   
He's home.  
Thank fucking god.

10 minutes later:  
Trinity slowly opens the door, peeking around before entering. Levi might be here, and it's not a confrontation she wants right now. Reaching in her purse, she pulls out the gun she purchased on her way home from work and quickly loads it. It smells like he was cooking, but everything is spotless. Curiously, she makes a sweep of every room. There's sound coming from her office. Is he in there?  
He's not, and she walks around the desk; eyes widening at the image on her screen. Clapping her hand over her mouth with a horrified giggle, she shuts her computer off and backs out of the room.  
"Oh my god Levi, you are so disGUSting!"


	7. Chapter 7

He wakes up and stretches, the light coming in through the bedroom window piercing his eyes. Squeezing them shut against the glare, he rolls over with a sigh.  
She's asleep with her back to him, the soft rise and fall of her breath comforting in it's rhythm. Not sure why he's so compelled, he reaches out and gently runs his hand down her back. She doesn't stir, so he gets up and heads to the kitchen.  
'Damn woman, still no doughnuts?' He shakes his head and starts pulling food from the fridge and cupboards.   
The smell stirs her 10 minutes later, and she gets up quietly; reaching for the gun under her pillow. It's gone.  
Shit! With a frustrated groan, she throws her robe on and heads to the kitchen. He's shirtless, and has his back to her; moving some eggs from the frying pan to two plates. She stands watching him for a couple moments, appreciating his half naked physique a little more than she's comfortable. He addresses her without turning.  
"Your gun is on top of the fridge. The bullets are long gone, sorry about that. Sit down."  
Too stunned to argue, she does as he asks; staring at him with such a perplexed look he can't help but chuckle. He places a plate before her and then sits across from her, watching.  
"Can we have a civil conversation?" He asks.  
"With the pervert that jerked off to porn in my office?"  
"I did NOT jerk off." He rolls his eyes and takes a bite of his eggs. "I was trying to find information on portals. Trying to figure out why I'm here."  
"Well you're certainly not here for that." She snarks, looking away uncomfortably.  
He's blushing madly at the memory of what he saw yesterday, and scoffs; trying to hide his own discomfort. "Thank the walls for that!"  
"The walls?"  
He just shakes his head and toys with his food. "That painting.... the one with the hands and the hourglass? You painted that, right?"  
"Yes..." She answers cautiously. "Why?"  
"It just seemed to strike a chord in me is all. What gave you the idea?"  
She shrugs, looking away. "Just a dream. No big deal. All I saw in the dream is what I painted. My hand and someone else's."  
"But why?"  
"It felt right, okay? That hand and mine felt right. Fuck, you're kind of pissing me off."  
"I don't give a shit, Trinity."  
"And I don't give a shit that YOU don't give a shit!"  
"You know something... something you're not telling me." He's eyeing her in his intimidating way, but wonder of wonders it really doesn't work on her like a cadet.  
"Tell me."  
"I don't 'know' anything. I suspect though."  
"Well?"  
"Go look at that hand for yourself, Levi. And stay the fuck off my computer!"  
Fine. That's just what he does. Picking up the painting, he looks a lot closer at the hand in question. After a couple minutes of not seeing anything; he's about to put it down when...  
wait.  
He turns his hand back and forth, eyes going from it to the painting in wonder.  
The scars on his hand are identical to the ones in the painting. Heck, now that he sees this more similarities are there.  
'How did I not notice this?' He thinks, looking closer. The shape of his fingers, even. Without a doubt it's his hand.  
"So you dreamed this? Before we even met?" He can't seem to take his eyes off the painting.  
She's standing in the doorway, arms folded and wanting to stay away. Something about that painting and him, just isn't right.  
"Come here."  
"No."  
"Trinity get your ass over here."  
She walks over tentatively, and kneels down beside him. He's holding out his hand, like in the painting. She doesn't want to, but she takes his hand anyway. It feels...perfect.  
And that's when the chaos begins. She feels like she's being pulled, and a rather quaint vision has appeared in the doorway. Eighteenth century? Early nineteenth? She's not sure, but the carriages and the clothes. She turns to look at Levi.  
"Is this your world?" She asks in amazement.  
"Yes. I think you're supposed to come with me."  
No.  
Oh hell no.  
She pulls away from him, and backs towards the door. He's getting up too, with a determined look on his face.  
"Trinity..."  
"No!"  
"God damn it woman!"  
He's back in his quarters.  
"Fuck!" He growls, and storms to the bathroom for a shower.  
Several Hours Later:  
Fuck, is he exhausted. He had been out training for the whole day, and then a titan attack. Miserably, Levi strips off his clothes and drops onto his bed.   
'I need a shower', he thinks just as his head hits the pillow. He's asleep immediately.


	8. Chapter 8

She wakes up and stretches, the light coming in through her bedroom window piercing her eyes. Squeezing them shut against the glare, she rolls over with a sigh.  
And stares right into the face of the man lying next to her. His arm is draped casually over her this time, and she can feel...  
Dear God.  
Is he?  
Naked?  
She screams and flies out of bed, inadvertently taking the blanket with her. This just makes her scream even louder, and Levi also flies out of bed, scared shitless.

"The fuck's wrong?" He says, eyes darting about the room in concern.

"You're n-n-naked! What the fuck, Levi?"  
He relaxes then and rolls his eyes.   
"Is that all? If it bothers you so much, why are you staring?" He sounds a lot cockier than he feels. Inside, he's absolutely mortified.  
She continues to stare.  
"You going to stand there staring at my business all day? Like it that much?"  
She finally gets a hold of herself, meeting his gaze with her own.

"Absolutely not, but consider my stare the only compliment you will ever get from me." With that, she turns away from the shocked Levi and leaves the room.

'Fuck, can I please just go home?' He thinks to himself, and sits back down on the bed. 'She saw me naked! Fuck!'  
Despite his embarrassment at this, he can't deny he actually kind of likes the fact as well. 'She seemed a little more interested than she'd care to admit.' He chuckles and walks out of the bedroom.  
She turns her back to him quickly, focusing on the pancakes she's making.

"Could you at least cover yourself, Levi?" She's rather alarmed at how hot her face is at the moment.

"With what?" He asks.

"Go get the blanket, dumbass!"  
He scoffs at her, and walks into the kitchen instead; slightly enjoying how bad he's fucking with her at the moment.

"Get away from me!" She shouts and jumps back from him, eyes darting left from right. If he wants to grab her, he will. She remembers how fast he is, and rolls her eyes in defeat.  
"I can't believe this." She's ranting, and he lets her; gazing at her calmly.

"FIRST, you show up in my bed EVERY FUCKING MORNING, and THEN the porn.."  
He opens his mouth to yet again defend himself, but she continues.

"THEN you try to take me to some fucked up boring ass world, and THEN-"

He laughs outright at this. "Trust me. My world is anything BUT boring...."

"And THEN you show up fucking naked?"

"I can't help that."

"Yes you can, you don't go to bed naked LEVI!" 

"Quit being such a baby. What's for breakfast?"  
She stares at him incredulously.  
"Who says any of this is for you?" It is, but HE doesn't need to know that.

"It's burning." He replies calmly, making no effort to do anything about it.

"Fuck!" She brushes past him and takes the pan from her stove.

"You should go get us some doughnuts."

"Fuck you, Levi." She storms from the kitchen, and into her bedroom. She comes out of the bedroom a couple minutes later fully dressed, and throws her blanket at him. He just tosses it on the couch with a smug look. With a muttered 'fuck', she heads to her studio next.

"I'm burning that fucking painting, Levi!" She calls out as she slams the door.  
His eyes widen in alarm, and he dashes to the room.  
"No!" He grabs her just as she's about to grab it. Pulling her close, he wrestles her to the other side of the room.  
"You can't do that!"

"Why not, Levi? It would be a blessing for both of us!"

"I'll just take it with me then. You're not closing this door!"

"Why not? And furthermore, what if it's location is what decides if it works?" She grins. "What if removing it from it's creator causes it to no longer work?"  
Why IS he so adamant this door stays open? He's not entirely sure, but the idea makes him feel incredibly unsettled.  
"I guess we'll find out, won't we? Maybe you'll wake up in MY world!" He grabs the painting and turns to her. "Just fyi Trinity, but I'm going to bed naked tonight!"

"You asshole!"

"Yeah, whatever you-"

"-bitch."  
He's home again, and the painting is still in his grasp.   
He dresses hurriedly, then dashes to the door. Hopefully whoever is knocking hasn't been doing so for too long.

"About time." Hanji says, strolling in without an invite. "You must be sleeping better. I've been knocking for the past five minutes!"

"Sorry about that, I-"

"Where did you get this painting?" She interrupts, walking over to examine it better.

Shit. "Hanji, leave it alone."

She laughs. "This hand sure looks a lot like yours."

"That's because it is. Now hands off."

She looks at him curiously. "Who painted it?"

"An acquaintance. Would you please-"

"The sand almost looks like it's moving..." She shakes her head with a chuckle. "Silly. Anyway, meeting on our next expedition in 20 minutes." With that, she heads out the door; leaving him to his thoughts.

'Moving?' He looks for himself. It's subtle, but once he sees it; he can't unsee it. The hourglass looks slightly lower than before.

'Time is running out.'

'Time for what?'


	9. Chapter 9

He wakes up and stretches, the light coming in through the bedroom window piercing his eyes. Squeezing them shut against the glare, he rolls over with a sigh.  
And stares right into the face of the woman lying next to him. His arm is draped casually over her and her head is nestled against his chest. There's the hint of a smile on her lips as she dreams.  
He also notes he has the painting with him. He had better hide it, he reasons and carefully gets out of bed. He decides on the ceiling tiles in her studio, and shoving one aside; gently places the painting above. Once this is accomplished, he goes back to the computer.  
Hoping for no mishaps like previously, he moves the mouse into the search bar.   
'This feels like an odd loop of some sort. Is that a thing?' Having no better place to start, he types it in and hits search.  
A multitude of options come up, both irrelevant and potentially relevant.

"What's with Katara's hair loops? No." He scrolls down.  
"How to tie a loop?" He rolls his eyes. "Nope."  
"Three types of loops and their applications... no."  
After a couple minutes of frustrated scrolling, he finally thinks he might have found something.

"What is a Cognitive Emotive Loop, and How to Tell if You are in One.... alright. Let's check this out." He clicks on it and begins to read.

Trinity wakes up and braces herself for the inevitable. Rolling over, she slowly opens her eyes.  
He's not here! She almost squeals out loud! With a sigh of relief, she heads to her studio; intending to work on her latest commission. As she's about to open the door, she hears the sound of typing and a male voice muttering.  
'Damn it!' She thinks, and turns to creep away.

"I know you're out there, Trinity. Might as well come in."  
With a sigh of resignation, she opens the door.   
"Thank you so much for allowing me the privaledge of entering my own studio." She deadpans, and walks in. "Whatcha looking at? More space babes? Gangbangs? Bukkake?"

"The fuck is bukkake?" He asks distractedly, and continues to read.

"Do NOT search it, Levi!." She looks at the screen. "What ARE you looking at anyways?"

"Do you have a recurring thought about yourself that never changes? It just gets stronger as time goes on? And everytime something happens that supports this, it just strengthens that initial thought?"

"Huh?"

"Well? Okay, what were you thinking when you started that painting? When you woke up from your dream?"

"It's stupid. I'm never going to find love. That's what I was thinking, not that it matters at all and dear god Levi why are you naked again?" She rolls her eyes and turns away.

'I think it does matter. A lot.' He thinks, and then chuckles.

"I told you I was coming back naked, didn't I? And for the record, I think it does matter. As a matter of fact, that is a negative thought loop I've put myself in as well." 

Not liking where this is going, she starts to back away, eyeing the door.  
"What are you implying?"

Instead of coming at her like she expected he would, he instead goes for the door and blocks it.  
"We're in this loop together. The reason for that is because WE belong together."

"Are you insane. Levi?"

"It's been pointed out on occasion." He says with a chuckle. Trinity just rolls her eyes and sits at her desk, pulling out paints and other materials; hoping he'll go away.

"The sands in the hourglass are moving, Trinity. Do you know what that means?"  
She ignores him, and continues to work; jumping when she feels his hands on her shoulders. His breath tickles her ear as he speaks.  
"WE don't have much time." 

"Enough Levi, I'm trying to work."

He runs his hand gently down her arm, before taking the brush from her hand. "It'll keep." He says, and though terrified by his own actions; he nuzzles her neck; planting soft and feather-like kisses. His heart is pounding like mad! This is literally his maiden voyage!

"Levi, stop."

"Why?"

"God!" She gets up, pushing him back a couple paces and turns. "Are you trying to have sex with me? Because, no."

"I'm not trying to have sex with you." He takes a step forward. "Call it a test in the accuracy of my theory."

"Go home, Levi. Now." She walks to the door, but he stops her; pinning her between himself and it. 

"I'll go when my time is up. We both know I don't have any control over that. Besides, maybe this IS home."  
Before she can really argue with him, he picks her up and carries her back to her bed. Despite her protests, he kisses her repeatedly; determined not to stop until he has some evidence from her that he's right. She's lying on her back now, looking up at him.

"Are you telling me you feel nothing? Nothing at all." He looks at her doubtfully, but also with a hint of fear.

"I- I don't feel anything, Levi."

He's gone, and back in his own world. For once, it's not a relief to leave. This time, he wishes he could have stayed.

"She says she has no feelings..." He muses, "but I heard the doubt and hesitation in her voice. She's not really sure HOW she feels.... means there's still a chance, right?" With a smile, Levi gets dressed and ready for his expedition.


	10. Chapter 10

He wakes up and stretches, the light coming in through the bedroom window piercing his eyes. Squeezing them shut against the glare, he rolls over with a sigh.  
And stares right into the face of the woman lying next to him. His arm is draped casually over her and her head is nestled against his chest. There's the hint of a smile on her lips as she dreams, and as he shifts; she mutters softly.  
"Levi..."  
He waits for a moment, heart thudding in his chest. Once he's sure she's still asleep, he climbs out of bed and heads for the kitchen.  
She stretches and yawns, she had just been having the sweetest dream about Levi. In it he told her he loves her, and she confessed the same to him. How perfect would it be, if only....  
No. She sighs and gets up. She knows he's here, of course he is. She doesn't even need to smell the breakfast cooking, the warmth of his body hasn't faded from his side of the bed yet.  
'His side? Oh girl, get a grip.' She throws on her robe and heads for the kitchen. "He better not be naked this time."  
He is.  
He lets out the most unmanly shriek she has ever heard, and she rolls with laughter. She pinched his rear, and now he's glaring at her; red faced.  
"Wouldn't of done that if you were wearing clothes." She says, popping her head out of the fridge for a moment before going back to her search. It's her turn to screech, he just pinched her back.  
"I'll pinch yours whether you're clothed or not." He says, and grabs a couple plates from the cabinet above.  
"You're nothing but trouble Levi, I- what the fuck!"  
He turns to her quickly, unsure what is going on. "Trinity, what's the matter?"  
"What happened to you?"  
He looks down, confused. "It's nothing, Trinity. There was a battle, I'm fine. believe me, I've had worse." Numerous lacerations cover his body as well as various bruises.   
"Those need cleaned." She heads to the bathroom, ignoring his protests; and comes back moments later with a medical kit.  
"Sit your naked ass down." She says, nodding to the couch. He chuckles and complies.  
"I knew you just wanted to get your hands on me" he says, and gives a hiss of pain a moment later. "Fuck that stings!"  
"Yeah, well it will stop your wounds from getting infected, so quit being a baby and hold still." He arches his back away again and she rolls her eyes. Unthinkingly she gives him a quick peck between the shoulder blades.  
"Better?" Judging from his shudder, the answer is yes, and she blushes; continuing to clean and bandage.  
"Do you want to watch a movie?"  
"What's that?"  
She chuckles lightly, and gets up to rummage through her collection.   
"You'll see in a minute." She pops one in the dvd player, settles in and glances at him quickly before looking back to the screen. "You know, if you're going to be spending a significant amount of time around here you should probably have some clothes."  
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?" He asks with a lift of his brow. She makes to hit him, but he scoops her up and lies down, grabbing the blanket from the back of the couch. She laughs.  
"I don't want to snuggle with your naked ass!"  
"Why not? You do it every morning."  
She laughs harder. "Not by choice!"  
"Yeah, well-" He stops, staring at the tv in awe and then looks at Trinity; who is wearing a wide grin.  
"What the fuck, woman?"  
She gives him a quick peck on the cheek, then rolls back over.  
"Just watch, Levi."  
He's momentarily stunned by this, but snuggles in and continues to watch with a soft smile. In this particular 'movie', there's a lot of those metal carriages racing around and smashing into each other. He's actually getting kind of caught up in it, and at one point he tenses up and squeezes a little too hard.  
"Ow!"  
"I'm sorry. This is pretty good, Trinity. You should teach me to drive."  
She laughs. "You behind the wheel? Scary."  
He gives her a sour look and continues to watch the movie.  
"Hanji would love all these gadjets of yours."  
She rolls over to face him. "Hanji?"  
He nods. "Wouldn't be a stretch to say she's my best friend. If she was here though, she'd probably want to take everything apart and examine it. There'd probably be fire."  
"Let's not invite her then."  
"Good call. Besides, you're the only one I want to wake up next to anyway."  
She blushes, but continues to gaze at him steadily.  
'I really want to kiss her.' He thinks, and slowly leans in. He realizes he's trembling, and his heart is pounding but he ignores his nerves and presses his lips to hers. The excitement he feels when she willingly responds to him is almost too much and-  
He's home.  
Fuck.


	11. Chapter 11

He wakes up and stretches, the light coming in through the bedroom window piercing his eyes. Squeezing them shut against the glare, he rolls over with a sigh.  
And stares right into the face of the woman lying next to him. His arm is draped casually over her and her head is nestled against his chest. She looks up at him with a sleepy smile and snuggles in closer.  
"Good morning."  
"Morning." He says with a smile, and kisses the top of her head. The feeling that he's finally getting somewhere with this woman makes him happier than he's ever felt in his life.  
It's scary, but wonderful at the same time.  
"I bought you some clothes, nudey-man. They're hanging in the closet." She traces a fingernail lazily down his chest as she says this, and he shudders. He rolls over, pinning her to the mattress.  
"You know, I've gotten kind of used to sleeping naked. It's actually quite comfortable." He gives her a squeeze and a playful grin. "You should try it sometime."  
Her eyes widen as she bursts into sudden laughter, and she lightly slaps his chest. "Oh, you think so? Well, maybe. If you play your cards right..." She teases, and then shoves him off her. "I have a meeting and I need to get ready. Are you good here by yourself for a couple hours?"  
He nods. "Sure. I can watch porn."  
"Gross, Levi." She calls from the closet. "Do you want to go out for lunch today?"  
"Out?" He sits up, giving the back of his head a thorough scratch.  
"Yeah. You've got clothes now, why not?"  
"Alright then." He says, and bumps into her coming out of the closet. She gives him a quick peck and walks away. "Get dressed handsome. Tired of watching your junk waggle around when you walk.", she tosses over her shoulder as she heads to the bathroom.  
'Waggle?', he thinks to himself with a chuckle. "I knew you were looking more than you let on.", He calls out and grabs a shirt from the closet.  
"You give me no choice.", she hollers back and hearing the shower start, he continues to get dressed. She comes out an 45 minutes later, fully dressed. He's just getting done cooking breakfast, and sits down with him for a minute before heading out the door.  
"You're not eating?"  
She shakes her head. "No time. I also got you a toothbrush and a razor. The brush is in the holder, and your razor is in the cabinet."  
"Okay, thanks." She gets up to leave and he looks at her, startled. "Hey! Give me a kiss!" She smiles, coming over to kiss him quickly before heading out the door.  
He spends the next hour cleaning the penthouse and then wonders what to do with himself next. 'The painting! I haven't checked the hourglass!', he thinks and dashes into the office; an uneasy feeling beginning to bloom in his chest. Grabbing a chair, he climbs up and reaches around for a bit before finding it. Sighing in relief, he pulls it down. It takes him a good few minutes of staring at it before he realizes what he's looking at is true.  
The sand is almost out.  
'What's going to happen when that sand runs out?' He's pacing around, has been for the last fifteen minutes and clutching the painting like a life line.  
'Fuck, Trinity what's taking you so damn long?' He looks down and the sand has lowered farther still. He turns immediately upon hearing the door open five minutes later. She looks frustrated and tired, but that's not his immediate concern. He pulls her over to the couch roughly, and she gives a startled yelp.  
"Levi! Wha-"  
"Just listen", he interrupts. "Would you do something for me?"  
She slowly nods, thoroughly confused.  
"Whatever your feelings are for me, right now. Will you paint it? You have to do it quickly, I'm afraid."  
She gives him a searching look. "Levi, what's wrong?"  
He shows her the painting, and her eyes widen in fear.  
"I don't understand", she says as she sets up a fresh canvas. "I don't understand why you have to leave at all."  
"Hell Trinity, I could be way off base about this. What I do know is I don't want to leave this to chance. Paint."  
She works surprisingly quick, and soon Levi can see the beginnings of her bed, and the window. After each section is complete, she goes over it with a low setting blowdryer to help the paint dry faster. Soon, he sees two faces forming, and the outline of their bodies. He's spooning her, his arm wrapped around her in his sleep.  
"Come on. Come on.", he mutters and looks at the painting. He looks up in alarm. "Shit! Time's almost up!"  
"Don't say that! Stop saying that!" There's tears running down her face as she paints, and it breaks his heart.  
"Tri-"  
She looks up at the sound of the painting clattering to the floor. It's blank now.  
Levi is gone.  
She continues to paint though. Crying and painting with angry, pained strokes of her brush. It's finally finished, and looking at it makes her heart feel heavy. She dries it, and carries it to her bedroom. After going back for a hammer and nails, she hangs it above her bed; gazing at it sadly until sleep overtakes her.


	12. Epilogue

He wakes up and stretches, the light coming in through the bedroom window piercing his eyes.   
Squeezing them shut against the glare, he rolls over with a sigh.  
And stares right into the face of the woman lying next to him. His arm is draped casually over her and her head is nestled against his chest.  
She looks up at him with a sleepy smile and snuggles in closer.  
"Good morning."  
"Morning."


End file.
